5 Yoga Poses to Encourage Creativity

“Yoga is a dance between control and surrender — between pushing and letting go — and when to push and when to let go becomes part of the creative process, part of the open-ended exploration of your being.” — Joel Kramer

Creativity takes many forms. As someone who writes yoga classes and articles for a living, it’s a state of mind I’m often trying to channel. Like a fair-weather friend, creativity only seems to come around when I’ve given it a welcoming environment.

When I’m feeling blocked mentally, I find it’s almost always related to blocks in my physical body. Rigidity and tension in my body seems to transmit the same stale energy into my mindset. That’s why I use my yoga practice to foster flexibility in my body, but also in my mind, leading to a more creative state, on and off the mat.

Below are my 5 favorite yoga poses to practice when I’m seeking a boost in creativity:

Headstand / Sirsasana: King of the asanas, nothing flips your perspective like a headstand. It’s a pose that requires great focus, bodily awareness, and a sense of play. Sirsasana is also said to stimulate the crown chakra, clearing…